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Texas football: 4 best candidates to replace Tom Herman not named Urban Meyer

By Nicholas Diamantis

Tom Herman, Texas Longhorns. (Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell-USA TODAY Sports)
Tom Herman, Texas Longhorns. (Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Mario Cristobal, Texas football
Mario Cristobal, Oregon Ducks. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

3. Mario Cristobal, Oregon Head Coach

Mario Cristobal‘s tenure as head coach of the Oregon Ducks football program parallels James Franklin’s at Penn State.

Cristobal was promoted from Offensive Coordinator to Head Coach after the 2017 season. Since Cristobal’s first full season as head coach in 2018, the Ducks have won 24 of its 32 games.

Cristobal has ample recruiting expertise and is featured in Nick Saban’s Alabama staff as an assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. Given Texas’ network of boosters, having the flexibility to recruit on a national level is something Cristobal would likely cherish.

Texas is home to some of the best high school football recruits each year. Cristobal as head coach, Alabama’s leading recruiter in each of its No. 1 recruiting classes, can expedite the process of returning to national prominence.

Cristobal was awarded Pac-12 Coach of the Year after finishing the 2019 season with an 11-2 record and the Pac-12 Conference Championship. The Miami native proved to be one of the best coaches in college football last season when his squad bested Wisconsin in an instant classic, 28-27, in the Rose Bowl.

Yes, the start of the 2020 season hasn’t fared well for Cristobal and the Ducks so far, having suffered two-straight losses to inferior opponents (Oregon State and Cal). The 2020 season has been so out-of-the-norm that Texas can overlook this year’s performance and bank on the coach that led his program to a New Year’s Six Bowl victory.